building new computer

[garroadran]

alright, I'm tiring of this cyrix at 200mhz, so it's time to get a new computer. However, I have little money to spend, and I pretty much have all the components I'll need.

What I do need however, is: motherboard, processor, and if the motherboard doesn't have on-board video, a video card.

In general, I'm assuming whatever tech store I go to will be able to help me out in matching a motherboard and a processor, but just to have a heads up, what do I have to look out for? chipsets, voltage, anything else?

Also, will any power source do? Or will I have to purchase one specifically suited to the new motherboard?

And one final thing... here's basically what I'm planning to do. Buy a motherboard, processor, and video card. Hook it all up, add in my HD, CDRW, PS, audio card, then plug in the monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers. After that it should all be basic software stuff right? Or will I have to do some bios setup crap which I know nothing about?

thx in advance

 

[garroadran]

oh yes... fine detail that I figure is implied but someone might drill me on anyway: NO, I haven't forgotten RAM.

 

[CitrixEngineer]

You'll probably need to re-install all your software - especially the Operating System - unless you're lucky. There are some who swear blind that you can just stick new motherboards in and off you go. My experience is otherwise.

You will definitely need a new PSU - a good quality one is recommended. Power needs to be at least 300W (unless you go for a cheaper model, then up the wattage a bit). There's a good recent article on Tomshardware.com covering PSUs.

On a tight budget it makes sense to go for AMD. You can pick up an Athlon XP 2000 cheaply - and they're good chips. Motherboards are a personal preference these days, but I like MSI. I used to be an ABit fanatic until I bought my first MSI.

MSI make the K7N2G with on-board NForce graphics - which is plenty good enough to start, but not up to hardcore gaming or graphics which require antialiasing. It also has good on-board 6.1 sound and LAN.

THE Chipset for AMD is the NForce2 - don't get anything less - and you'll need new RAM for that. Don't get cheap RAM no matter what your budget. Go for branded stuff like Crucial, Kingston or Hynix.

Good Luck!

 

[paparazi]

True, Nforce2 chipset platform motherboards are the fastest and most desireable ATM for Athlon/Duron CPU's but a bit expensive for someone on a budget.
I wouldn't be quite as dismissive as citrixengineer of other chipset choices, the much cheaper Via KT400 may not be quite as fast but in my opinion is a more stable platform and still has all the features (USB2, 8X AGP etc)and support for the fastest AMD processors.
motherboards using this chipset can be found for as little as £45 UK, the cheapest Nforce2 is 50% dearer than this.
Martin


Replying helps further our knowledge, without comment leaves us wondering.

 

[garroadran]

cool, thanks a lot. So, short of the new power source, it doesn't look like I missed anything as far as what I'll have to buy.

As far as OS, I'd be saying bye bye to Win98 in favour of XP anyway.

I will look around for prices and such, but I think that even with throwing the PS in there, 300 CAD should do it.

As far as the amd processors go, I used to have a system with an AMDK6, but it gave me nothing but trouble because of a problem with windows. I recall reading that it was probably one of two thing: some memory access issue which I don't remember, or a timing issue with the AMD chip. After that I kinda lost faith in AMD, but I've heard nothing but good things from most people, so maybe it'll get another chance... I don't know yet. Still gotta shop around for prices.

thx again guys.

 

[CitrixEngineer]

Athlon XPs are awesome chips - if you're used to the K6, you're in for a surprise!

Paparazi corrects me again! The KT 400 is a great chipset - I own a KT4 Ultra FISR which is currently posting a more than respectable score on PC Mark with no overclocking.

I would warn away from the bottom end of the budget market though - there's a reason some boards are so cheap. Remember, your motherboard is the hub of your PCs universe. Better to skimp elsewhere, like get a slower CPU to start with, or even consider 256Mb instead of 512Mb RAM. After all, it's easier to upgrade the CPU or RAM than the motherboard.

Good Luck!


Note, although I said "Better to skimp elsewhere..." - this does not include the PSU! There is such a thing as false economy...

 

[paparazi]

Sorry M8, it wasn't meant to be a correction, as usual you advice is top notch.
BTW I am running one of the new Gigabyte GA7-NNXP motherboards, so I do rate the Nforce2 ultra chipset.
With 300 Canadian dollars (sounds a lot) you might even be able to go with the more expensive Intel 865 or 875 chipset and treat yourself to a 800fsb Intel P4.
They start at 2.4ghz and are the ultimate choice for the power user.
The Nforce2 400 being the next best in terms of ultimate performance but most agree better price/performance for your money (bang for buck)
Martin


Replying helps further our knowledge, without comment leaves us wondering.

 

[AndrewTait]

I don't know about elsewhere, but in the UK you can get Elite Motherboards with AMD Duron 1.8 built onto the motherboard for about £50-60.

This also comes with on board graphics, sound, and network card, and is an ideal item for someone who is on a very tight budget.

PC133 memory would be required for this, and some of it would be needed for the graphics (shared memory is a pain in some circumstances) so a little more than usual would be required (e.g. if you want 256MB in your PC, you would have to get at least 272MB to ensure that you had the full 16MB for graphics as well as the 256MB for apps).An ATX power supply is also required for this board.

This is not the best board if you want to upgrade it later as you cannot remove the processor, but for a cheep general purpose machine it is ideal. I have used several of these boards to replace aging pentium I machines, both for home users and in the office environment.

Cheers,

Andrew